The House: A Vampire Diaries Story
by LiveLaughRockLove
Summary: When Elena is in a new town all alone, and a mystery character has put a reward on her, who can she trust?  Stefan has disappeared, and there is only one she can turn to.  Damon will always be there for her, but can he save her from this?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Wanted

Damon was on edge before he even came into view of the house. He observed its details as he pulled into the driveway. It was a two story, large house with a black roof and an antique looking style to it. It was placed on a very steep hill, vegetated with a lot of trees. The shades in the windows were closed, but as Damon pulled into the garage that had been left open for his black SUV, one of the shades was pulled back an inch. He parked the car and reached into the backseat to grab a few of the bags he'd been requested to bring.

The night before, Damon's phone had rung while he was at a bar out in Kentucky. As soon as he saw Elena's name on the caller I.D., he ran outside at vampire speed to get some quiet. He hadn't seen Elena or heard from her in over a year. Stefan had disappeared after Katherine's visit, and no one had seen him since. Damon felt as though it brought Elena too much pain to have Stefan's brother around, so he'd left Mystic Falls, traveling as a nomad ever since. He'd checked up on her, alright, but it seemed as though any danger posed to her had left with the Salvatores.

However, the phone call was quite bizarre. "Hello?" Damon had answered. "Damon?" her familiar voice had rung in his ears pleasantly. "Yeah…long time no see…Calling to catch up or…" he had begun. "Well," she had suddenly seemed unsure about calling. "I need your help. I just didn't know who I could call… who I could trust anymore." He was confused. "Elena, what do you mean? Where are Bonnie and Caroline and everyone?" "Damon, I don't know where they are anymore. I moved out of Mystic Falls this past summer after I graduated, because Jenna and Alaric wanted to move out of town, and I didn't feel like following them. You know, they wanted to start a new family, and they didn't need me hanging around for that. So I moved into my great aunt's old house in a town a few miles away called Lunas Flats." Damon had been a few moments behind in the conversation. "Oh wow, you graduated… I can't believe it. I don't remember getting an invitation…" She had interrupted him. "Damon, please listen to me," her voice had cracked in a way that made him focus on what she was saying. "I was supposed to go to college back in September, but I've had some problems…Well I haven't felt safe even leaving the house except when completely necessary since I moved to Lunas Flats. As soon as I got here, people started acting really strange. There's an enormous vampire population in this town and it's growing. And I'm just-" She had stopped. "Elena? Elena, what is it. Tell me what you need," Damon had said, that same old protectiveness of her spreading over him instantly, as soon as his ears heard her voice. "I'm just kind of nervous. I found something really bad, and I might be in the house for a while. I don't feel like I can leave. I was wondering if you could come over here and bring me some supplies." "Yeah, give me a list, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Damon knocked on the door from the garage to the house. The garage door to the outside closed electronically before the door in front of Damon opened. And there she was. Elena Gilbert looked around past him a bit nervously and stepped aside for him. "Come on in, Damon." He let himself in and made fifteen more trips to the car to take in all the food, toiletries, clothes etc. that would last for up to two years of survival. She hadn't said a word to him yet besides to invite him inside.

He made himself comfortable on the wicker coach that had a floral design. "So, Elena, what's going on?" he asked. He hadn't exactly pictured their reunion going the way it had. He had imagine more along the lines of a long, warm hug. But Elena looked frazzled. She looked skinnier, her hair was mussed, and he could tell she was exhausted.

"Okay, well just look at this." Elena said nothing as she handed him a white piece of paper with something printed on one side. Damon's eyes widened. There was a picture of Elena- a school photo from her senior year it looked like- with the words under it- "$5,000,000 ALIVE: CONTACT JASON BLACK" "I found it on the internet this morning. I have no idea why it was put out there or who this Jason Black is." "Whoever he is, he'll be dead in two hours," snarled Damon, getting to his feet. "Damon, you don't understand. I've never seen so many vampires in one place before, and they all want this money. They think I'm an easy target- which I don't blame them, but you're the only person I've ever invited into this house, because I don't know who would be willing to turn me over for money, and I don't have any real friends in this town." Damon gave her a long look. "I'm staying here with you, and I'm tracking this guy down." She shook he head quickly. "This is why I didn't want to call you…I don't want you involved in all this. Thank you for the things you bought me and I'll pay you back right now for them, but you can't stay here. I don't want you getting hurt too." "Then make me leave," Damon teased her. She reached for her purse on the counter. She took out a large wad of money. "I'm sure this doesn't even cover all of it," she said, pressing it into his hand, "But please just take it and go."

Half of her was desperate for him to leave and be safe and the other half would give anything to not be left alone again. He shoved the money back into her hands. Something had caught his eye- a shadow. He opened a curtain on the other side of the room, and there on the other side of the glass was a black-haired man. Well it wasn't just a man. It was a vampire. Damon was out the door in a second. He lunged at the male vampire. "Damon, don't!" Elena said rushing out the door that had been left open, after him. A few feet out the door, she noticed the two vampires were now continuing their fight at the bottom of the hill, down in the dirt road at the bottom.

All of a sudden, something had her hair. It was a female vampire this time. She yanked Elena's hair and Elena screamed, drawing Damon's attention. Damon couldn't help her, as he was in his own fight, but the vampire at the top of the hill threw Elena like a rag doll own the hill, so that she rolled violently through the leaves and hit her head and limbs on many trunks and branches. She was unconscious by the time she got to the bottom of the hill. The woman attacked Damon from behind as the man threw Elena's limp body over his shoulder. Damon had the woman stake din seconds and threw himself at the retreating figure of the man. He dropped Elena, and Damon used the same stake he'd used on the woman on him. As soon as they were both dead, he rushed to Elena. He pulled her to a sitting position, and brushed her hair out of her face. She had bruises on every few inches of her skin, her cheek had a cut on it, and there was a large crater-like wound on her upper forehead. The only thing he could be thankful for was that he could hear a heartbeat coming from her. He picked her up gently and carried her into the house where he went upstairs and laid her on a queen-sized bed. The bed looked like it had been used by her during her stay here.

Damon got a wet washcloth and bandages from the supplies he'd bought and washed her wounds and got some ice for her largest bruises. Once she looked peacefully comfortable, he lay down next to her and watched her sleep. Something told him it was the first time she'd slept soundly in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of the Vampire Diaries

Chapter 2:

Elena woke up the following morning. She sat up quickly, sending pain down her back and arms. "Lay back down," Damon ordered, as he entered carrying a tray. "Damon?" she asked dazedly with her voice full of relief and comfort, to Damon's pleasant surprise. Then the events of yesterday came back into her mind. She put a hand up to her temple and moved to get up. "Hey, if you get up now, this professional breakfast-in-bed will be put to waste." She sat back down. He handed her the tray and sat on the edge of the bed. "Chocolate chip waffles with chocolate syrup?" she laughed. "Hey, you used to have those all the time at our house." "Yeah, they were my favorite…" she said. "_Are _my favorite," she corrected. "Eat," he said, and she didn't need to be told twice. As she put the first delicious bite in her mouth, she said, "So since when are you nice?" She immediately regretted saying that to him. He stood up. "Well if you prefer the real me, then I'll just take that back," darkness coming over his features. Her eyes widened for a second, before he cracked a grin and pretended to try and pull the tray from her hands. She laughed, and Damon thought to himself that he would do anything to make her keep laughing so she never had to look as frightened, as she had the day before, again.

As soon as she was done eating, Elena was up and about again. "Did you already eat?" she asked as he followed her into the kitchen. "Not hungry," he answered. He didn't mention the fact that he had eaten plenty that morning- a buffet in the woods. She sat down in a stool at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and sighed. After a moment of silence, Damon knew what she was thinking about. He stayed where he was. "Are you really going to stay?" she asked quietly. "How could I leave?" he asked so quietly, it was almost a question to himself. She finally looked at him, he eyes full of something he couldn't really understand.

"Let's talk," she said a long time later in the living room. "About…?" he asked, back to his normal tone. "How's life? Where have you been?" she asked. "Where haven't I been?" he joked. "I've been… around." She nodded slowly. "Good answer… Where were you when I called? It was kind of loud." "In this place in Kentucky that's practically famous for is martinis down there." "So you really didn't go too far," she said. "Nope, stayed around these dumpy parts," he joked. "So, have you heard from-" she swallowed, "-Stefan?" It almost seemed like she struggled to get his name out. He winced at having to talk to her of all people about his cowardly (in Damon's opinion) little brother. "He hasn't called me or anything to go out for drinks, if that's what you're asking. In fact, I don't even think I got a Christmas card. I did run into our old friend. Remember that guy who tried to kill us on our road trip to Georgia? I saw him once again. He seemed to have calmed down a little bit since then, but he wasn't too excited and anxious to hug me. He told me that Stefan had visited him to finally meet the guy Lexi had mentioned so many times. He was flying out to London the next day, the guy said." He didn't look at Elena. "And one more thing… he was on human blood." Now he looked at her and saw the pain and sadness in her eyes. "He wasn't crazy or anything. He said he seemed happy," Damon added, trying to help her, but the fact that he was content without her sent a pang through her heart. "Anyways, who wants ice cream?" he asked, trying to make that nice smile return to her face.

It worked, but there were still tears behind her brown eyes. "We just ate breakfast!" she giggled. "I don't see any signs anywhere saying dessert can't come before lunch." He pulled her off the couch and into the kitchen.

After lunch, provided by Damon, and dinner, made by Elena, the human decided to call it quits. She yawned, and as she was about to go upstairs after saying good night to Damon, who was watching TV, she remembered something. "There are a few guest rooms upstairs. You have your pick." She wasn't sure if he'd already stayed in one. Without looking away from the TV, Damon answered, "I'm good. I'm a couch kind of guy." Then he smirked at her. She went upstairs and to sleep.

Elena awoke from her dream in a sweat and knew that she had been tossing and turning for quite some time. The clock on her dresser read 3 a.m. She lay back down and closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come. After about twenty minutes of attempting to fall back asleep, Elena gave up and got out of bed. She rubbed her eyes and ruffled her tangled hair. She noticed her water glass was empty. She grabbed it and her dry throat led her down the stairs.

As Elena reached the bottom step, she realized Damon was asleep on the couch. She couldn't hear him breathing, but that wasn't unusual for him. She saw his dark still figure on the couch, and decided not to wake him. She tiptoed toward the kitchen.

One step away from the smooth cold tile, an arm pinned her arms to her sides by wrapping itself around her waist. The assailant's other arm had her around the throat. It pinned her windpipe so tightly she couldn't breathe-or scream for that matter. And suddenly it slackened, and I breathed out and relaxed too much. As the attacker spun me around to face him, I fell forward onto them. I was still half asleep and didn't have full control of my muscles.

"Sorry," Damon said, as he held my weight up. "Couldn't resist. I just wanted you to understand how quickly that can happen. I don't pay attention for one second and you're gone. Gone without a trace." I was falling asleep now that I was trying to stay awake. "But…but… they can't..get in…house…" I pointed out. He laughed at my slurring. "Time for bed? You should go back upstairs."

"No… I'll just…" I walked over to the couch and collapsed on it. "What a trooper," he joked. As I drifted off, I felt a warm blanket get pulled over me. And I had just realized I had taken his place to sleep as I drifted off again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any of the Vampire Diaries Characters

_My apologies for not writing for such a long time and for the tense mistake at the end of the last chapter._

Damon awoke the next morning, regretful for having scared Elena in his exhaustion the previous night. _Elena_, he turned her name over in his mind as he located her. His heart must have literally twisted in his chest. She was without makeup, and the result made her look different but the same. Damon decided she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen by far. And that was including Katherine.

This wasn't the only thing that had crushed him. She had somehow in her sleep managed to end up with her head on his lap- he was in a sitting position. He stared at her for a few minutes before he built up the courage to reach his hand out for her face. No one had ever looked so small and fragile to him before. And yet she still managed to scare him more than anything in the world. He barely touched her skin on her cheek, as he'd done so many times back when she was in high school. Not that she had known about that. She hadn't wanted him back then. She wanted- him.

Thinking about Stefan was not his favorite thing to do. He'd broken Elena's heart and run off somewhere and was now on human blood. Although it had been shocking for Elena, it wasn't really for Damon at all. His fingers had begun to twirl her hair around themselves.

Elena woke with a start. She had been dreaming about dancing in a ballroom with someone she couldn't quite focus on the face of. The mystery man had dipped her gracefully before leaning over her. The man touched her face so gently it was almost imperceptible at the same his face was revealed. _Damon. _He grinned as he saw her recognition and then slowly inched toward her face. All she could see was the abysses of his eyes…

Her own eyes opened. She was looking at the living room sideways. Then her surroundings came to her and she blushed violently. "Morning," Damon said. She sat up. "I'm sorry…" she started. "Don't worry about it. You were asleep. I'm used to very conscious girls throwing themselves at me." She frowned and he regretted the comment. "I meant-" "What's for breakfast?" she interrupted and left the room.

When Damon reached the kitchen, Elena was munching on a bowl of cereal she had poured herself. He suddenly felt hungry- in a different way. He went to the fridge and got out one of the many blood bags he had between there and the basement. He drank it quickly and then sat at the table.

There was a silence for a few minutes. "Well this could get boring," he said. "I told you not to stay," she reminded him. "Don't say that. I'm just going to find out who this guy is. You have a computer?" he asked. "In the office on the top floor to the right." Damon went to the office at vampire speed and got impatient waiting for the computer to turn on.

When the screen lit up, Damon went to a search engine and simply typed the name Jason Black. The name not being unusual, there were 2,000 results. He began his research, narrowing it down to the Jason Black's that had substantial amounts of money or power. After an hour he printed out his results grimly and came downstairs.

"What did you find?" Elena asked him while doing the dishes. "Well he could be this kick boxer…" Damon joked, "Or he could be a legendary multi-millionaire who was supposed to be dead ten years ago." He threw his finding on the table. She wiped her hands on a towel and looked at them. "There have been quite a few sightings of him. Human resources though. Many think he's a ghost haunting them. The man was like head of his own mafia organization. Killed thousands. He didn't have to work a day in his life to get all that money. My guess is that he still is in the organization."

"What interest could he have with me?" Elena asked. "Well…you are important in the vampire world. He could have an interest in you for trophy reasons, considering your background of avoiding capture, or maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe he knows someone that does know you."

"Like Katherine?"

"One of many options."


End file.
